The present invention relates to a method and a device for the detection of structure-borne acoustic vibrations in a component of an agricultural harvesting machine.
Publication DE 197 25 028 makes known a sensor for determining structure-borne acoustic vibrations produced when grains strike a pulse detector. The sensor is composed of a plate-shaped pulse detector that extends across nearly the entire width of the separating or threshing part, on the underside of which a vibration sensor is located that is directly connected with an evaluation unit. The vibrations produced when the grains strike the pulse detector are introduced directly into the vibration sensor and cause it to produce voltage that is proportionally dependent on the vibrations, the voltage being transmitted to evaluation electronics, where it is evaluated. The vibrations produced by the grains are dependent on the number of grains that strike the pulse detector. It is therefore possible to use the pulse detector to determine the quantity of grain that strikes the pulse detector at a certain point in time or over a period of time.
The disadvantage of this sensor is the fact that the impact sites of the grains cannot be located.